Utilizing a spear or elongated tine to pick up and maneuver hay bales has been the tradition for many years. Front end loader buckets have found frequent employment as the preferred means of mounting the spear and transporting the hay bales, since the spearing apparatus does not justify the sole occupation of a specialized vehicle.
Exemplary of relevant prior bucket-mounted bale spearing apparatus are the devices shown in the following U.S. Patents: U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,311 for Loader Bucker Mounted Hay Bale Spear; U.S. Pat. No. 4,299,522 for Tractor-Mountable Front And Rear Bale-Impaling Hay-Carriers and U.S. Pat. No. 4,329,103 for Bucket Loader Attachment. Other similar devices are in commercial use, but are not the subject of U.S. patents. While all of the aforementioned devices are apparently successful in accomplishing their respective purposes, they are all encumbered by complexity, either in the structure of the spearing apparatus itself or in the means for attaching and detaching the device to the prime mover or to the bucket of a traditional front end loader.
Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a hay bale spear that is simple and sturdy in its construction and is easily mounted on the bucket of a front-end loader.
A second object of the invention is to provide a hay bale spear that is subject to rapid modification by the user for lifting and carrying pallets, fencing and the like.
Other and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become obvious upon a reading the following description of a preferred form of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the bale spear of the present invention mounted on the bucket of a front-end loader.
FIG. 2 is a side view of the bale spear showing the device in operation lifting a bale of hay.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the bale spear of the present invention with two tines carried by the transverse base member and one by the vertical stem member.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view exploded view of the bale spear.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the frame of the bale spear.
FIG. 6 is a top view of the frame of the bale spear.
FIG. 7 is a side view of the frame of the bale spear.